Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant feels that those who oppose GMO crops are elitists who are not concerned about the poor having affordable access to food. The major biotech company leader also believes that the USDA will review and then approve pending genetically engineered crops and not derail the Monsanto production timeline.
During an interview with Bloomberg News , Hugh Grant stated that those who feel that genetically modified crops are harmful are simply not concerned about poor people from around the globe. According to the Monsanto CEO’s comments, GMOs are entirely safe and help farmers bring in big crop yields.
“There is this strange kind of reverse elitism: If I’m going to do this, then everything else shouldn’t exist. There is space in the supermarket shelf for all of us. I think we’re going to look back on this period and say, how on earth did that ever become the fight that it became,” the Monsanto CEO stated during a recent interview.
During a May 11 Congressional hearing, the safety of the US food supply and the increasing number of Chinese consumable imports was discussed. Lawmakers and agricultural leaders also stated that organic farms in both the Midwest and the Rocky Mountain were decreasing for the first time. Since the mid-1990s, five mega-biotech companies have virtually taken control of the seed production in America – and by extension, the food supply in the United States.
“I’d feel a whole lot better if it was marinated a little on where is that extra chicken going to come from or who is going to grow the new bushel. This place is getting busier and more crowded. As long as you’ve got money in your back pocket and you drive your station wagon to the supermarket on weekends, then it’s out of sight out of mind, so far,” Hugh Grant also stated.
GMO opponents often dispute studies from governmental agencies which proclaim the safety and benefits of GMO crops. The GMO crops have been blamed by some agriculture experts for reducing the bee colony population. The fact that many former Monsanto executives and attorneys are now in positions of authority at governmental agencies has fueled the level of distrust among food freedom activists. More than 400,000 Americans recently signed a petition in opposition of Dow Chemical’s 2,4-D tolerant soybeans and corn. A total of 31,000 form letters opposing Monsanto’s dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybeans, were also recently presented to the USDA.
The Monsanto CEO also feels genetically engineered crops will help farmers meet the rising food supply demand. Washington State University Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources Professor Charles Benbrook feels that while GMO crops may make farming easier, they also increase American’s expose to chemicals, some of which have been linked to reproductive problems. Dow Chemical’s 2,4-D is among the chemicals used in GMO crops which have reportedly been linked to reproductive issues.
Despite the vocal opposition to genetically modified crops, Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant still believes the USDA will ultimately see things his way. He feels that dicamba-tolerant crops will achieve USDA approval by mid-decade. Grant also feels that USDA scientists will review the request objectively because America has a system that works.
[Image Via: Shutterstock.com ]